Murder trial told dying shop boss made 999 call

A DYING shopkeeper told an emergency operator he had been stabbed in the neck, a court heard yesterday.

Javaid Ali would give customers goods on credit and lent money to them

Operator Spencer Anderson told the High Court in Glasgow that during the 999 call the injured man, Javaid Ali, told him he was “bleeding badly”.

A customer who went into the shop told the court that she saw blood coming out of Mr Ali’s neck “like a fountain”.

Witness Alan Nimmo said that Mr Ali sold cannabis to customers, including him, at his Sunshine Grocers shop in Paisley, Renfrewshire.

The witnesses were giving evidence in the trial of Lee Anderson, 31, who denies murdering Mr Ali, 48, by stabbing him at the shop in June last year.The father-of-three died in hospital almost two weeks later.

Emergency operator Mr Anderson, 37, told the court he took the call from Mr Ali at 5.07pm on June 15 last year.

The witness said: “He said he had been stabbed in the neck and was bleeding badly.”

The operator said that the call cut off after Mr Ali had said this and that he tried three times to call him back without success.

At the same time, one of his colleagues got a 999 call from a customer who had gone into the shop in Green Road, Paisley.

In court, the customer Eileen Meechan, 48, told prosecutor John Scullion blood was coming out of Mr Ali’s neck.

She said that when she walked into the shop there were no signs of any disturbance. Mr Ali was at the back of the store on his phone and staring at her.

Ms Meechan said she jokingly told him to get off the phone and serve her but just then he collapsed.

Ms Meechan said: “Blood was coming out of his neck like a fountain. I ran out, then ran back in, and phoned an ambulance.”

Ms Meechan said Mr Ali always chatted to his customers. He would give customers goods on credit and lent money to them.

Ms Meechan, who has a son, Christopher Donnelly, 25, was asked by defence QC Brian McConnachie: “After this incident in 2012, the area was rife with rumours about who committed this crime.”

She replied: “Yes.”

Blood was coming out of his neck like a fountain. I ran out, then ran back in, and phoned an ambulance

Eileen Meechan

Mr McConnachie then said: “One name that cropped up was your son.”

She replied: “Yes.”

Lee Anderson is also accused of possession of an offensive weapon, a knife, and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

He denies all the charges against him and has lodged special defences of alibi and incrimination. The trial continues.